We were all very sad to see Comic Relief close after 20+ years of service to the SF Bay Area, the original "comic bookstore" was a major force for indy and mini-comics, and founder RoryRoot and Comic Relief's staff have done a lot for the small-press scene in general (we particularly like former Comic Relief staffer and Sparkplug Comic Books publisher Dylan William's thoughts on the subject).

And now, from the ashes of Comic Relief, Berkeley has a new and exciting comics shop: The Escapist! The folks at Dark Carnival Bookstore have purchased the entire stock from the closed Comic Relief (including the Comic Relief cats!). They are marking their opening with a special nighttime party, with the release of the new Wednesday comics at the stroke of midnight... very fun! There are some special guests expected too... We have some guesses who might be involved, but we won't go out on a limb with predictions. Suffice it to say it sounds like a very fun start to a new era in Bay Area comics culture, and we highly recommend that you drop by!The Escapist Grand Opening • Tuesday, March 15th at 10pm • 3090 Claremont Ave, Berkeley, CA